The Francis W. Gardner Memorial Fund Supports the Arts
at Middlesex Community College

Middletown, CT—Middlesex Community College honored the Gardner family with a reception Tuesday, November 27 unveiling art work beautifully framed as a result of a memorial gift made possible by family and friends of the late Francis W. Gardner.

Clark Gardner, class of ‘79 and son of Francis Gardner, attended with his wife Kamilla and relayed that his father had always been involved in education, citing his 20 years on the Higganum Board of Education as an example. “He also had a passion for the arts and, more specifically, displaying art, and even entertained the idea of converting his barn into an art gallery some day,” said Gardner.

The late Gardner’s passion and the idea would come together a year after his death through the donations to the Francis W. Gardner Memorial Fund of the Middlesex Community College Foundation for the purpose of framing student art work to be displayed at the College.

“His support of the arts has made it possible to display many previously unknown pieces which would have languished in storage for many years,” said Judith de Graffenried, the College’s Art Department coordinator. “Our collection is eclectic with pieces purchased from area professionals as well as student art including several national juried exhibition pieces.”

de Graffenreid went on to speculate that this memorial donation may even be the start of a new collection of reproductions of student works accepted into national juried competitions.

Dr. Wilfredo Nieves, president of Middlesex Community College, thanked the Gardners and friends for their donations. “This is an important time for the College, a time for coming together with our many friends to thank them for their generosity and support.”

When looking back on the 1960’s and Gardner’s involvement with the Middlesex Community College Regional Advisory Council, it is evident from historical documents that Gardner was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the College. A page taken from “The Early Years: Phil Wheaton” transcript states “… Every community college in Connecticut had an advisory council. The first members were essentially those that had worked long and hard to obtain a college in Middletown several years before I came on the scene. A reading of Miss Taylor’s [Edith Taylor, secretary of the Advisory Council] minutes informed me that it was not an easy battle and there was often more despair than hope. But the group persisted …” Middlesex would first start as an “annex” of Manchester Community College, according to the memoirs, and not become completely independent until the March meeting of the State Board of Community Colleges where the College was granted its independence to be effective June 1, 1968.

During the reception, the Middlesex Community College Foundation Board Chairperson, Sean Moore, made a surprise presentation to Dr. Amy Wheaton for her outstanding contributions to the College as a long-time supporter, educator, and past Foundation member. This was a part of the evening’s event because Wheaton is notorious for skipping out on attempts to thank or reward her, and in this case, she was a central figure behind the scenes in establishing the Gardner Memorial Fund for the College. Wheaton then joined the Gardner family at the front of the room to conclude the reception on a high note.

Donations to the Francis W. Gardner Memorial Fund can be made by contacting Greg Kline, director of Institutional Advancement and staff liaison to the Foundation, at (860) 343-6914.